{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\fswiss\fcharset0 Arial;}} {\*\generator Msftedit 5.41.15.1515;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs22 The broad, long-term objective of this application is to continue the participation of the University of\par Pennsylvania as the Eastern Division (ED) of the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN), which serves\par the public good by stimulating cooperative efforts to collect and distribute human biospecimens and to\par facilitate research utilizing those specimens. These activities are expected to encourage basic and\par developmental studies in many areas of cancer research, including molecular biology, immunology and\par genetics. The ED's aims in support of the CHTN and the scientific community will include providing high\par volumes and diversities of well-characterized malignant, normal, and benign human tissue samples prepared\par to investigator specifications; increasing awareness of the CHTN through marketing efforts and integration of\par patient advocates; working with CHTN members on studies and efforts related to tissue quality; serving on\par the CHTN Coordinating Committee and its subcommittees to improve the network and be bound by its\par decisions; ensuring quality of tissue and services through an integrated Quality Management System (QMS)\par that harmonizes local procedures with the CHTN Manual of Operations (MOO) and National Cancer Institute\par Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources (NCIBP), addressing each step of the process from application\par intake to tissue processing to shipment and billing; offering an integrated informatics program that combines\par participation in CHTN group development activities with sharing of local informatics tools and integration with\par the broader community through cooperation and certification with the cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid\par (caBIG); to provide a web-based solution to allow sharing of QC data and analysis of QC results among all\par CHTN divisions, including the provision of application programming interfaces (API's) as required by caBIG;\par and to protect the rights and privacy of patients whose tissue and/or data may be utilized by severing links to\par the donor in cases for which informed consent is not practicable. Methods will include histological and\par \fs12 ~^\par \fs22 molecular quality control; use of standard operating procedures (SOP's); staff training programs and\par voluntary certifications as available; satisfaction monitoring; and use of controlled vocabularies, common\par data elements, and hierarchical permissions. These approaches are based on ED expertise honed in 20\par years of participation in the CHTN informed by the latest best practices and industry standards.\fs20\par \par }